Apparatus for pulping papermaking material



Dec. 8, 1953 w. v. KNOLL 2,

APPARATUS FOR PULPING PAPERMAKING-MATERIAL I Filed Feb. 1, '1949 2Sheets-Shat 1 32 FIG. I 33 34 1 3nventor WILLIAM V. KNOLL HIS Cittomeg D8, 1953 w. v. KNOLL 2,661,666

APPARATUS FOR PULPING PAPERMAKING MATERIAL Filed Feb. 1, 1949 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Smnentor WILLIAM V. KNOLL HI 5 (Ittorneg Patented Dec. 8,1953 UNITED STATES P NT v. Knoll, Dana omo Afifihcatidii Fiirlii 1,1949, Serial No.

4 Clainis.

fIhis invention relates to apparatiis for pulping and screening materialused in the manufactureof paper. J 4. The primary object oithi'sinyen'tionis 69pm; videan improved apparatus for pulping paper"- makingmaterial. c, Another o i-e 1 e1 p rov'isio'iicoi an im roved dfiberingmefchanis'in for use in treating papermaking material 7 Still another(it oi the present invention is to provide, ari 1mproyd pulping machinehaw ing' a cylindrical, Vessel or tank. with a cone. shaped bottomportio and a. beater or impeller mechanism which conforms to the cone sh'pe' of the bottom of the t 1k a d is aa uve sman in peripheral imen i nregeneration at com paratively highppe'ri'p a1 vVelocity. 6 A I Withthese and in ital objects in View,,the invention includeseer inflnovelfeatl'i'rs of eonstruction andcombin' trons ofpa'rts, the essentialelements of which are set forth in] appended claims n ie er lfio m r e bsliineni of which is hereinafter described with refrence to' thedrawings which accompany and form a part of this specification.

In the drawings: v I Fig. 1 is a'fragme'ntary side elevation inpvertical section; showing a'batch type of apparatus embodying thepresent invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation in vertical section of thebottom'portion of a contimi: ous type of apparatus embodying the presentinvention; V

Fig, 3 is a plan View; as observed. from above} of the apparatus shownin Figs; 1 and 2;

,jIhe; conventional types of apparatus" used at present fortreatingpaper-making material or stock are somewhat similar indesign and operation' and consist generally of a'cylindrical vesselior tank with a;rounded bottom portion 01'" perhaps; a sloping'bot'tom portion and aflat-disk type. of agitator or impeller-of comparatively large" diameterlocated near thehottoni of the tank. J

These relatively large disks obtain sufflcien't peripheral velocity,when driven at comparatively slow speeds, to'c'ausethepaper-making'stock to move in a'. horizontal direction away from the:periphery of said" disks and lipwardl'y' along" the sides of thevessels? Y r I n 4 Driving these largejhavy disks at slow' sfie'fll'necessitates the" use of e'il'l'fibersom'e 5116f iir'ien sive speedff Il the operating'ino at a oompalat'iv ,The, present. in 5 proved tyivo'fplilping ratuscoz'npris a essel or taiilg with a conershapedvbottoifl and iirgiaene'r Whicheom f; of the tank andw I di" 16 h'ghrate of speed tolo am 1;,

to cause the paper outwardly. and 11 bottoi 'i 16 side either. 16 ciablec'na' undue resistance" Applicants i' pr oberates' at rel. W by directbelt; conne. 20' us el m n'atingithe mechanisms peed on nvfitional typesof puniing apparat isl, i

The improved. ia'u a herein preferabl g d s. th 11 rom e '1 of thisinvention p i i f Referring whichlike'ief n the apparatuslofthi s v Ilindrica l vesse q'r rank; lfl is'fibported b able legs" I I ma nevi-nan a "'ula' conical bottom port M a, centralnckiiQr w necl; i3: iscovered vb l4, Siecni-d-tosaiiineck by a suitable an '6" piece; whichencircles 40' i ne I v v secured 1161 6 511614115 i hearing housing I 5supporting abiisfiiiigin whichv Y cdfiibars ape, Outer rice-i5 of which.co "forms in shape to the inner surface of @8653}? lation of materialcal bottom 12. The angle of the conical bottom l2 and the agitator 24,as shown, is approximately 45 degrees, which is preferable but notimperative, as the angle of these parts may be changed somewhat ineither direction without detracting from or interfering with theefficient operation of the apparatus.

The shaft I6 is enclosed in a tubular sleeve 9, secured at'its upper endto the bearing housing I! and having its lower end fitting freely in acollar secured to the hub 23. This sleeve protects the shaft Hi from thetwisting and accumutherearound, which could conceivably interfere withthe efficient operation of the device.

The disintegrating action of the agitator 24 is enhanced by a pluralityof equally spaced radial vanes 26 (Fig. 1) fast on its outside face 25and similar radial vanes 2'! fast on its inside face,

The vanes 25 and 21 coact with corresponding vanes 28, equally spacedaround the inside surface of the cone-shaped bottom I2 and locatedimmediately above the upper rim of the agitator 24, to create therequired turbulence and circulation of the paper-making stock to reduceit to the proper fineness for efficient paper making.

The lower end of the shaft i6 is rounded, as at 29, and said roundedsurface coacts with a similar surface on a thrust piece 30, which fitsfreely in the lower bushing and provides means for adjusting the outerface 25 of the agitator 24 in relation to the inner face of the bottomportion l2 to secure the most efficient operation. A shoulder, formed bythe reduced upper end of the shaft l6, coacts with an upper thrustcollar 3|, secured to the upper bearing housing H, to limit the end playof the shaft l6.

Secured on the reduced upper end of the shaft 16 (Figs. 1 and 3) is apulley 32, having a plurality of identical V grooves engaged by as manyidentical V belts 33, which engage similar grooves in a pulley 35,secured to the armature shaft 35 of a driving motor 36. The base of themotor 35 is secured to a plate 37, in turn secured to an extension ofthe channel member IS. A bracket 38 (Fig. l), secured between the plate31 and the tank ll}, assists the channel IS in supporting the motor 36,and further support is provided by a vertical post 39, extending betweensaid motor and the floor.

The multiple V-belt drive is chosen for its simplicity and its quiet andefficient operation; however, any other suitable means of driving themechanism may be utilized with out departing from the scope and spiritof this invention.

The device shown in Fig. l is for so-called batch operation, in whichthe tank is loaded or charged and the paper-making material is treateduntil it is of the proper fineness and consistency for paper-making,whereupon it is drawn out of the tank through a discharge opening 45 inthe neck [3, and the tank is again charged, and so on.

Fig. 2 shows the device of Fig. 1 adapted for either batch or continuousoperation by providing suitable screening openings 40 in the agitator 24and similar screening openings 4| in the angular bottom l2 of the tankIn opposite the openings 40 in the agitator. A suitable circular chamber42 is secured to the bottom of the tank I and surrounds the screeningopenings M in said tank. The chamber 42 has an outlet or discharge 43,which connects with, for example, a suitable storage place for theprocessed papermaking stock.

In the use of the device of Fig. 2 for continuous operation, as thepaper-making material is reduced to proper fineness by the defiberingaction of the impeller 23, the vanes 25, 21, and 28, and the conicalbottom of the tank, said material passes through the screen openings 40in the impeller 24, thence through the opposed screening opening 4| inthe conical bottom of the tank into the chamber 42, and thence out thedischarge 43.

Obviously the device of Fig. 2 may be used for batch operation, ifdesired, by simply closing the discharge 43, charging the tank withpaper- .making material as explained in connection with Fig. 1,operating the impeller 43 until the material is reduced to properfineness, and then drawing the processed material through the discharge43, and so on.

It Will be noted that, in either the batch or the continuous type ofapparatus, the agitator or impeller 24 forms a kind of vessel withangular sides, and in operation the paper-making material enters at thecenter of said vessel formed by said impeller and is immediately thrownviolently outwardly and upwardly along the path of the cone-shapedbottom at a high velocity and without appreciably changing its directionor meeting with undue resistance. This efficient pulping action isobtained by the coneshaped tank bottom in cooperation with the impeller,which conforms in shape thereto, as-

sisted by the vanes 23 and 21 on said impeller and the correspondingvanes 28 on the tank bottom. Also, the shape and size of the impellerpermit it to be operated at a comparatively high initial speed, thuseliminating the use of cumbersome and ineficient speed-reducingapparatus.

While the forms of mechanism shown and described herein are admirablyadapted to fulfill the objects primarily stated, it is to be understoodthat it is not intended to confine the invention to the forms orembodiments shown herein, for it is susceptible of embodiment in variousother forms.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine of the class described, constructed and arranged for thecontinuous pulping of paper-making material, the combination of acylindrical pulping tank having an inverted frusto-conical bottom, and acircular chamber formed beneath the conical bottom and connected to theinterior of said tank by screening openings in said conical bottom, saidcircular chamber having a discharge opening; a panshaped agitatorconstructed for high-speed rotation, said agitator comprising a flatbottom portion and an integral side wall portion tapered outwardly andupwardly to match the taper of the conical tank bottom and to form anopening that is'su bstantially larger than the flat bottom portion, saidagitator being secured on the drive shaft in such a manner that thetapered side wall portion thereof is in closely spaced relationship tothe conical tank bottom, said side wall portion having screeningopenings therein which are located opposite the similar openings in theconical tank bottom; radial vanes equally disposed on the inner andouter faces of the tapered side wall portion of the agitator; radialvanes equally disposed on the inner conical surface of the tank bottomimmediately adjacent the upper edge of the tapered side wall portion ofthe agitator; and means connecting with the upper end of the shaft todrive said shaft and the agitator at comparatively high speed to causesaid agitator, in conjunction with the vanes, to circulate thep-apermaking material outwardly and upwardly to create a vortex abovesaid pan-shaped agitator to cause the papermaking material to be drawndownwardly into said pan-shaped agitator and recirculated thereby untilit becomes of proper fineness to pass through the screening openings inthe tapered side wall portion of said agitator and in the conical tankbottom, and enter the circular chamber where said paper-making materialis continuously drawn out of the discharge opening.

2. In an apparatus for treating paper-making material, the combinationof a cylindrical tank having an inverted conical bottom therein; a driveshaft mounted vertically in the center of the cylindrical tank; apan-shaped agitator comprising a flat bottom portion and a side wallportion secured at its downward edge to said bottom portion and taperedoutwardly toward its upper edge to match the taper of the invertedconical bottom of the tank to form an opening that is substantiallylarger than the flat bottom portion, said agitator being secured on thedrive shaft in such a manner that the tapered side wall portion thereofis maintained in closely spaced relationship with said conical tankbottom; and means to drive the shaft and the panshaped agitator atrelatively high speed to cause said agitator to circulate thepaper-making material outwardly and upwardly to create a vortex abovethe pan-shaped agitator, which causes the heavier portions of thepaper-making material to settle into said pan-shaped agitator, where itis recirculated until it becomes the proper texture and fineness for usein making paper.

3. In a machine of the class described, constructed and arranged for thecontinuous pulping of paper-making material, the combination of acylindrical pulping tank having an inverted frusto-conical bottom and acircular chamber formed beneath said conical bottom and connected to theinterior of the tank by screening openings in said conical bottom, saidcircular chamber having a discharge opening; a

pan-shaped agitator constructed and arranged for high-speed rotation,said agitator comprising a flat bottom portion and an integral side wallportion tapered outwardly and upwardly to match the taper of the conicaltank bottom and r to form an opening that is substantially larger thansaid flat-bottom portion, said agitator being secured on the drive shaftin such a manner that the tapered side wall portion thereof is inclosely spaced relationship with the frusto-conical 1y so as to create avortex above said pan-shaped agitator, which in turn causes the pulpingmaterial to be drawn downwardly into said panshaped agitator where it isrecirculated until it becomes of the proper fineness to pass through thescreening openings in the side wall portion of said agitator and in theconical tank bottom,

and accumulate in the circular chamber where it is continuously drawnout the discharge openmg.

4. In a machine for treating paper-making material, the combination of acylindrical tank having an inverted conical bottom therein; a shaftvertically mounted in the center of the tank; a pan-shaped agitatorsecured on the shaft near its lower end, said agitator being oflightweight construction for high-speed rotation, and comprising a flatclosed bottom portion and an integral inverted conical side wall portionwhich conforms in shape to the conical bottom of the tank and is locatedin closely spaced relationship thereto, said agitator having a pluralityof screening openings in the conical side wall portion thereof; andmeans operatively connected to the upper end of the shaft to drive thepan-shaped agitator at comparatively high speed to circulate thepaper-making material and to cause said pan-shaped agitator to collectthe circulating material as it settles in the quiet zone, near thecenter of the tank, and to throw said collected material outwardly andupwardly against the conical bottom of the tank to reduce said materialto the proper fineness for use in making paper, which proper fineness isdetermined by the screening openings in the side wall of said agitatorthrough which the properly reduced material passes.

WILLIAM V. KNOLL.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 118,092 Ames Aug. 15, 1871 166,519 Gardner Aug. 10, 1875417,799 Walbaur Dec. 2, 1889 611,482 Katzenstein Sept. 27, 18981,219,290 Goyne et al Mar. 13, 1917 2,365,293 Robinson Dec. 19, 19442,371,837 Martindale Mar. 20, 1945 2,461,720 Cawood et al Feb. 15, 1949FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 12,096 Great Britain of 1898 OTHERREFERENCES Paper Making by the British Paper and Board MakersAssociation, 1110.; published by William Clowes and Sons, Ltd., London(1950); page 94.

